Flowers and Petals
by kay.heartscry
Summary: [Oneshot] [TifaCloudAeris] Some flowers symbolize love. Some flowers symbolize memories. But all flowers die eventually.


Disclaimer: Don't claim or own Final Fantasy 7

I re-wrote some parts of this story because I didn't like the way that this flowed. Hopefully, now it's better.

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**Delicacy of a Flower.**

Cloud lay alone on his bed, couldn't help but think he screwed up somewhere. His perfect life... shattered with a flower. Weren't those damn things supposed to be delicate...?

Tifa sat in the plushy chair in her new home with Cloud, reading. The meteor had been destroyed only a couple of weeks ago and every single day, Cloud would go outside somewhere for hours. The martial artist could only believe he was training to keep in shape.

For the last four weeks, a permanent grin had been stapled to Tifa's face, ever since Cloud had confessed his love for her. It had been bold and straightforward.

_"Tifa..." They stood at the city if Ancients, the whole team had gone there to thank Aeris after the big battle. But, the two were alone. The rest were waiting patiently outside._

_"Yeah, Cloud?"_

_"I love... you."_

Shocking really. Everything moved at high velocity after that, the sex, the new home, the new life. All were very blissful. They lived in Nibelhiem but neither Tifa nor Cloud had visited their old houses yet. They still held agonizing memories.

Slam. Thump. Thump. Thump. "Hey, love. You still awake?"

Tifa stood up from the chair, only glancing at the time which read 12:43 AM, and gave her knight a long kiss. "I could never sleep without my hero beside me."

They stayed in that routine, almost frozen in time, for roughly two months before the fist-wielding fighter finally decided to pay her respects to her deceased family and friends. One day, when Cloud had left for his training, Tifa went to get some flowers from her back yard. While she walked to the Nibel Mountains, the place she had planned to throw the flowers off the edge after she prayed, it began to drizzle.

"And I really miss you... Tifa's been really supportive. I guess we're in some kind of relationship..." Her keen ears picked up on a familiar voice. Cloud's voice. What was he saying? "But to tell you the truth... I always thought that I'd be with you. I come home to _you_ cooking. I fall asleep beside _you_. Everything with _you_, not... Tifa. I'm not saying this life I have now is bad or anything... it's great. It's just... Aeris, I love you... when will you come back to me?"

Tifa sneaked towards the voice, there he was, sitting on his behind twirling a flower in his hand. He pressed his lips against the bloom before dropping it over the cliff. "Let this flower carry my kiss to you..."

Cloud walked home, unknown to him, Tifa followed only a short distance behind. Not knowing what to feel, hate? Hurt? Anger? Her lover entered the house, while as she stopped in the middle of the street.

"_I guess we're in some kind of relationship..."_

What was she to him then? Was she just some kind of filler? Someone there so he wouldn't be alone?

_... That isn't enough..._

"Honey! I'm home." Expecting a reply, he shut the door and continued calling until he heard the entrance unlock. Turning around, he saw a drenched Tifa come through the door. "You're soaked. Whe-"

"Do you love me?" Her face remained emotionless but in her hand, she held a single blossom.

"... Of... course... Are you alright?"

"Where were you today?" A shocked expression seeped into his face; she'd never questioned him before... Even through the rain droplets that clung to her cheeks, Cloud could easily define the fresh tears that had recently poured down from her pain-stricken eyes.

"Just..."

"Did you know Aeris' dead?" Inclining her head one way, she lifted the flower from her side.

Azure eyes narrowed suspiciously. "..."

"Mama's is dead." She plucked off a petal. "Daddy's dead. Biggs' dead. Jessie's dead. Wedge's dead."

For each person, she pulled off a petal. Now, only one was left on the stem. Tifa stuck it out to Cloud, who grabbed it confused. "Now, how about Aeris?"

He couldn't pull it off; his fingers clamped into the fragile petal yet he couldn't find strength to tear it from the stem. Cloud looked back up at Tifa, not knowing what he should say; what she _would_ say.

Cloud lay alone on his bed, couldn't help but think he screwed up somewhere. Tifa had mentioned something about staying with... anyone before she left forever. His perfect life... shattered with a flower. Weren't those damn things supposed to be delicate...?


End file.
